А little maid giving mе а mаssаgе... what a goоd idеa!
Chеng Chi loоkеd аt Zhоu Shаоjin and smiled.
Fоr some inexplicаblе reаson, Shаоjin fеlt thе gazе rеsting оn hеr bаck suddеnly becоmе somеwhat ambiguous, just likе whenevеr Cheng Сhi wаs аbоut tо tеmрt her into dоing sоmething.
Shе didn’t dаrе to sсrutinize Сhеng Chi’s eхрressiоn too cаrefully and instеаd sоmewhаt guiltily changеd thе subjеct: “Маdаm Sоng аskеd me if I’d likе tо go fоr a сup of tеa оn thе dаy оf thе fаmilу recognitiоn ceremony?”
Тhis was treating thеm as relаtives tо visit.
If Sоng Jingran wеre just an ordinary person, Zhou Shaojin would have agreed immediately. But with the current political situation so complex and volatile, she truly didn’t dare to make such a decision on her own.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “I was recommended by Lord Song, so naturally I must stand or fall with him. Whether we go for tea on the day Madam Song’s family recognition ceremony or not, others will still see me as Lord Song’s man. Rather than that, it’s better to openly associate with the Song family. Those who want to scheme will have to think twice.”
Shaojin understood this reasoning.
She nodded with a smile and brought up Cheng Rang’s wedding: “The meeting gift is a set of silver jewelry inlaid with various gems, and privately I also prepared a box of small gold ingots to give to Madam Xie.”
When a new bride enters the family, meeting gifts must all be the same; otherwise, the giver might offend people and make things difficult for the new bride.
Seeing that Zhou Shaojin’s actions were becoming more and more well-ordered, Cheng Chi smiled and said, “You can decide these matters yourself.”
But Shaojin enjoyed discussing these things with Cheng Chi.
She couldn’t help but pout and say, “Don’t you like hearing me talk about these things?”
“I don’t!” Cheng Chi replied bluntly.
Tears welled up in Zhou Shaojin’s eyes.
Cheng Chi had always been gentle and considerate toward her and had never spoken to her in such a tone before.
She felt utterly heartbroken.
But Cheng Chi bit her ear from behind and whispered softly, “I rarely get to come back, and instead of thinking of me, missing me, you talk to me about these irrelevant things. If you have this free time, you might as well do something else with me…”
Zhou Shaojin’s face instantly flushed crimson, and the bitter feeling she had just moments ago suddenly turned as sweet as honey.
Cheng Chi chuckled softly, capturing her still pink, girlish lips, and his hand slipped beneath the hem of her clothes.
The room filled with blushing-inducing moans.
By the time the two went to the Song family for the recognition ceremony the next day, Zhou Shaojin still couldn’t quite bring herself to meet Cheng Chi’s smiling eyes. Cheng Chi, on the other hand, behaved much more openly than she did. When getting out of the sedan chair, he turned to offer her a hand.
Song Sen, who came out to greet them, winked at Zhou Shaojin and greeted Cheng Chi with a lukewarm “brother-in-law.”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Your older brothers all call me ‘Uncle,’ but you insist on calling me ‘brother-in-law.’ Good thing there are no suitable young ladies left in the Zhou family, or others might think you’ve become the Zhou family’s son-in-law!”
Song Sen snorted dismissively and said, “If I hadn’t met Sister, how would I have met you? You have your interactions, and I have mine. They don’t interfere with each other. Are you afraid Sister will treat me too well?”
Cheng Chi merely smiled without replying and said gently to Zhou Shaojin, “If you need anything, just call Song Sen. He’s idle anyway, and with a bit of leniency, he can still move around the inner quarters for a couple more years. Don’t be polite with him.”Song Sen, just like when he was a child, was still very fond of clinging to Zhou Shaojin. Shaojin had no choice but to visit the Song family mostly when Song Sen was away at school. Fortunately, Cheng Chi was broad-minded and always treated Song Sen with a gentle expression, as if he were an innocent child, no matter what he said. This made Shaojin feel even more heartache for Cheng Chi's forbearance.
"I understand," she replied softly, reminding Cheng Chi, "You still have to visit Second Uncle later, so don't drink too much."
When men socialize outside, it's impossible to avoid drinking altogether. However, Cheng Chi had always been sensible and would refrain from drinking whenever possible. Today was a special occasion, though, with Zhang Hui and others present, he couldn't avoid toasting a few cups.
"Don't worry," Cheng Chi said with a smile, leaning close to her ear. "I don't want to lose my composure in front of my superiors."
Shaojin trusted him and nodded gently with a soft smile.
Cheng Chi then headed to the open hall in the east.
Song Sen, scratching his head in curiosity, asked Shaojin, "What did Master Cheng say to you?"
How could she share such intimate marital words with Song Sen?
"Nothing much, just told me to be careful," Shaojin replied absentmindedly, noticing that Zhang Hui's wife had already arrived and was sitting in the armchair by the window, waving to her.
She left Song Sen behind and walked over. "Today is your brother's joyous occasion, so why don't you go attend to your own affairs?"
Song Sen wanted to say something, but Shaojin had already curtsied gracefully to Zhang Hui's wife.
He had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
Zhang Hui's wife quickly helped her up and pulled her to sit beside her, asking about Cheng Shao: "How is the old master? I heard he could get out of bed a few days ago. Is it true?"
Shaojin confirmed, "Yes. After all, he's getting on in years. It started as just a common cold, but who knew it would drag on for two or three months without improvement? Earlier, our master was worried it might turn into consumption. Thankfully, he can now get out of bed, all thanks to Aunt Chang's careful nursing. However, he still can't sit for long to read, or he'll feel dizzy and his vision will blur. Physician Cao says he needs to rest and recuperate for a while longer."
"That's good, that's good," Zhang Hui's wife murmured, "Amitabha." Shaojin noticed that the other women around them were also listening intently.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Although she was no longer afraid of socializing with these people, she still preferred spending time with Cheng Zheng and the others, where they could speak freely.
Nevertheless, she maintained a proper smile, drank the tea offered by Song Mu's new bride, Madam Li, chatted pleasantly with Zhang Hui's wife and the other ladies about the newly opened silk shop near Xizhimen Gate, and only after lunch did she return to Chaoyang Gate with Cheng Chi.
Yun Ge'er was now ten months old. He could roll over, crawl, and even call out simple words. After shedding his heavy cotton coat for a lighter padded jacket, his limbs became even more agile. He was never still for a moment, and if you weren't careful, he'd crawl off somewhere unknown. He even knew how to hide behind large pillows or curtains, making people search for him. All the maids and nannies in the household kept their eyes fixed on him, not daring to blink. Old Madam Guo complained that the Tingxiang Courtyard shouldn't have had water brought in, fearing Yun Ge'er might fall into it.
When Shaojin and Cheng Chi returned, Yun Ge'er was sitting on the large heated kang by the window in Old Madam Guo's resting room, being fed porridge by his wet nurse. Every time the spoon was brought to his mouth, he would carefully inspect what was in it before opening up.
This was a consequence of a few days ago when he caught a cold and had a stuffy nose. Old Madam Guo had fed him huchai drink, and now he was extra cautious.Hearing the commotion, the little one nimbly turned around. Seeing Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi, he squinted his eyes and smiled, babbling "Dad" and "Mom" at them.
Zhou Shaojin felt her heart melt.
She took three steps in two and picked up Yun Ge'er.
Yun Ge'er mumbled something unintelligible in her arms, then reached out toward Cheng Chi, wanting him to hold him.
Cheng Chi hurriedly took his son into his arms and, regardless of whether he understood or not, spoke to him as if he were a little adult: "What did our Yun Ge'er do today? Did you act mischievously with Grandmother? Did you hide and make the maids and nannies unable to find you?"
Yun Ge'er, whether he understood or not, babbled along with Cheng Chi's words.
Old Madam Guo's smile never faded. She told Cheng Chi to hand Yun Ge'er to the wet nurse: "He hasn't finished his meal today! As soon as you arrive, he'll get distracted and won't want to eat. Let the wet nurse take him to the back room to eat."
The wet nurse stepped forward and took Yun Ge'er.
Yun Ge'er didn't want to leave.
Old Madam Guo said, "The wet nurse will take you to see Snowball. Play with Snowball, and your mother won't leave."
Now Snowball had become Yun Ge'er's playmate.
Hearing this, Yun Ge'er stopped fussing and obediently let the wet nurse carry him.
Old Madam Guo then instructed Da Ya, the senior maid attending Yun Ge'er: "Quickly go find Snowball. I promised Yun Ge'er."
Da Ya smiled and acknowledged the order, then withdrew along with the wet nurse carrying Yun Ge'er.
Old Madam Guo asked Cheng Chi, "When are you going to Yuqian Alley today?"
Zhou Shaojin noticed that aside from Cheng Chi and herself, no one else in the Cheng family seemed to know about Cheng Shao's feigned illness.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "I'll go after chatting with you for a while."
Because Cheng Shao was ill, Cheng Chi had to attend to him. The emperor had granted Cheng Chi a long leave, and he had not yet returned to the Censorate.
Old Madam Guo didn't know whether this was good or bad. She said, "If your second uncle is better, you should return to the Censorate sooner. Although having the emperor remember your name is a good thing, being remembered for filial piety may not necessarily be beneficial."
Cheng Chi thought for a moment before smiling and saying, "Mother, don't worry. The emperor's relationship with Second Uncle is much better than we imagined. Yesterday afternoon, the emperor went to Yuqian Alley again and played two games of Go with Second Uncle. However, Second Uncle's energy was lacking, so I played two games with him afterward. During that time, the emperor also asked me about the Yellow River flood control. From the tone, it seems the embankments in Gaoyou are about to be repaired, but Second Uncle changed the subject and started talking about the taxes in Jiangnan."
Old Madam Guo listened with both worry and joy. She worried that the emperor might send Cheng Chi to manage flood control again, trapping him in river management work. Yet she was pleased that Cheng Shao was promoting Cheng Chi in this way, showing that he had high hopes for him.
However, she was no ordinary woman and considered things more long-term.
After a moment of silence, she said, "You should also discuss this matter with your elder brother. As for when he visits your second uncle, that will be his own affair!"
The implication was that whether he could encounter the emperor would depend on his own opportunity.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "I've already informed Elder Brother. Actually, there's another piece of good news I haven't told you yet!"
"What is it?" Old Madam Guo asked with interest.Cheng Chi deliberated, "Since the Fifth Prince passed away, His Majesty has appeared more than a decade older than usual. Sometimes, he even loses focus while playing chess. Yesterday, after finishing a game with me, it was already time to light the lamps. Yet, His Majesty flatly denied it and made no mention of returning to the palace. Not only did he have dinner at Yuqian Alley, but he also spent a long time chatting with Second Uncle about family matters, mentioning the early deaths of Third Brother Fen and Brother Xun... Then, His Majesty granted A Bao a hereditary position as a fourth-rank assistant commissioner! This edict will be issued no later than tomorrow. I specifically sent someone to inform Elder Brother, asking him to keep an eye on things so that the cabinet officials don’t interfere and ruin it."
"What did you say?" Old Madam Guo and Zhou Shaojin exchanged bewildered glances. "Hereditary? A Bao?!"
They were, after all, a scholarly family.
"Yes!" Cheng Chi said with a bitter smile. "His Majesty must have been reminded of the departed Crown Prince and the other princes..."
And felt a shared sense of loss with Cheng Shao.
※
Dear readers, here is today’s update.
I heard everyone is watching the military parade today... O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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